Plot Synopsis

HAVE YOU SEE THIS MAN? is a three-episode documentary series that centers on the disappearance of fraudster John Ruffo, which prompted one of the longest, most intense hunts in U.S. history. In 1997, the FBI arrested John Ruffo, who ran a small computer sales company from New York City, for committing a staggering $353 million bank fraud. The crime he had committed was outlandish. Using forged documents and fake corporate seals, he persuaded banks to loan him $350 million. He invented a nonexistent proposition that he called "Project Star," and he used the money to gamble the millions on the stock market, becoming one of Wall Street's high-rollers. When the FBI caught wind of his swindle, they set up a sting. Following his conviction, this doughy balding Brooklyn computer salesman was supposed to report to prison in November 1998 to begin serving a 17-year sentence. At his sentencing, prosecutors made an unthinkable mistake. They agreed to let John Ruffo drive himself to prison. Instead, he rented a Ford Taurus, drove to Queens to turn in the ankle monitor he had been wearing, took $600 out of an ATM, headed to JFK airport, and...vanished. This series follows U.S. marshals as they search for clues and receive fresh tips that lead them across the globe from California to Italy. Featuring interviews with retired and active U.S. marshals, as well as members of Ruffo's family, the docuseries examines Ruffo's case from the beginning and presents an up-close look into the investigative process behind the search. "Have You Seen This Man?" asks for help from the public to offer information or tips on the fugitive's whereabouts. Based on the second season of the "Have You Seen This Man?" podcast, HAVE YOU SEE THIS MAN? debuted on Thursday, March 24, 2022, as Hulu released all three episodes:

"Anatomy of a Con Artist": John Ruffo, who ran a small computer sales company from New York City, had a surprising gift for deception and committed a staggeringly brazen $353 million bank fraud. The FBI arrested Ruffo in 1997, he pled guilty, and the judge sentenced him to 17.5 years in federal prison. What happened next left a trail of shattered lives and sparked one of the longest, most intensive searches in U.S. history.

"The Hidden Life of Thieves": John Ruffo falsely traded on the name and clout of American tobacco giant Philip Morris - an audacious crime and the biggest swindle of its time. Getting access to millions of dollars, Ruffo transformed himself into a Wall Street high roller. He spun fantastical tales of secret government missions. When his life started to unravel, he pulled off a con as daring as his fraud: After convincing prosecutors and a judge to let him self-report for a 17.5-year prison term, he disappeared. The U.S. marshals chased a promising tip when a relative reported spotting someone resembling Ruffo seated behind home plate at a Los Angeles Dodger game.

"The Spy Who Scammed Me": In diaries he left behind, John Ruffo spins an exotic Cold War tale. Is it all part of another Ruffo con? To find out, the team goes in search of an infamous FBI turncoat and a Soviet diplomat, who Ruffo claimed was a target for defection. Would fresh answers to the mysteries of Ruffo's escape emerge from behind a Cold War curtain? Or could the answer lie closer to home, still shrouded in secrecy by the American mob?